Video: Shocking Pinks: "End of the World"
Shocking Pinks stand out, as their Crayola moniker would suggest, but not through the gaudy synths of fellow pastel revivalists like "Miami Vice" types Kavinsky or Miami Horror. Instead, Shocking Pinks-- actually the project of ex-Brunettes drummer Nick Harte-- play songs that combine the fuzzy noise-pop of the Velvet Underground with the twee sincerity of the Field Mice or New Zealand countryfolk like the Bats. You could spend all day trying to pick out the precise influences of a woozy, percussive lament like "The End of the World"-- and we probably will-- but when Harte's weary vocal wends between electronic peals and lightly strummed guitar, it doesn't really matter.
After streaming several tracks from Shocking Pinks' forthcoming Shocking Pinks shocka, DFA has now posted a video for the album's first single, "End of the World". Directed by Richard Bell, who produced decades of Antony Corbijn's videos (Depeche Mode, U2, Joy Division, Nirvana), the clip rewards close attention almost as much as the song. A downcast Harte sings from one side of the car, but if you click away there, you'll miss the point. "I wanna take you out/ Like it's the end of the world," Harte sighs, as sparks of light commiserate with his deceptively glimmering musical accompaniment.
Video:> Shocking Pinks: "End of the World"
[from Shocking Pinks; due 09/25/07 on DFA/Astralwerks]